Lies of the Innocent
by Freak-With-Issues
Summary: Winry's parents weren't killed in the Ishbal war. That was one of thousands of lies Winry was forced to feed to Ed and Al. Now, when the brothers drop in for a surprise visit, a devestating event causes the truth to be revealed. Now, caught in a deadly game of hide and seek, things can only get worse.
1. Homecoming Surprise

**A/N: Go ahead and yell at me, but I just had this idea and I had to write it down. I have watched quite a few of the Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemis: Brotherhood, but I skip around a lot. I'm having trouble capturing Al. I see him as a boy with a child-like innocence to him who always thinks of others, not even considering himself. Can anyone help me out with him?**

Ed sprinted down the dusty road as the sun began to fade behind the land, ignoring his brother's complaints of kicking up dirt on his armor. Ed had finally found some time in-between leads to take a break and go visit Winry. While he wouldn't admit it, he was extremely excited to see the familiar blonde girl-becoming a woman. Through his time away from her and the constant ache to see her, he had begun to understand maybe he wanted to be more than friends with her.

When he finally reached the Rockbell house's front door he leisurely pulled it open and with a relaxed stance called out, "Winry!" The house seemed still and Ed immediately got a creeping feeling of unease. The feeling continued to spread through him, crawling up his spine and invading his mind when his call was returned with silence. "Winry?" He called again in a more cautious voice. At that moment Al reached the door and began scolding Ed.

"Brother, you shouldn't yell so loudly. What if Winry is sleepi-" Al was cut off when groan echoed through the house, sending Ed bolting from the doorway and towards the workshop where the sound had originated from. As he neared the room the putrid scent of blood began to sting at his nose resulting in him running even faster. Ed felt the familiar rush of panic which set him even more on edge. He threw the door open, his eyes frantically searching the room for the person the groan belonged to.

When they landed on the red and blonde blob, he felt a rush of dizziness and he had to grip the door tightly so as to not faint on the spot. Al joined him quickly and screamed Winry's name. There, lying in a puddle of her own blood, lay Winry clutching where her left leg was supposed to be which had been replaced by a blood soaked sheet that was covering the mutilated limb. Ed was quickly by her side, ordering Al to call a doctor. He barely noticed when Al left, too focused on the twisted expression of pain on Winry's face.

"Winry, I'm going to move the sheet and look at it, okay?" He didn't wait for an answer, pushing the cloth aside to see the injury which looked like her leg had literally been ripped off by how mangled it was. Her leg, up to her mid-thigh, was gone. "Al!" Ed screamed, fear turning his veins to ice as he looked at his childhood friend bleeding. He put an arm around her shoulders and brought her sideways into his chest. "Come on Winry, you can't leave me. Who'll put up with me constantly breaking my automail? Who'll throw wrenches at me and call me an alchemy freak? I need you, so hang on." His words became strangled, barely escaping his mouth. Al came running back in then, staring at the terrifying scene before him.

"Brother, the doctor will be here in an hour. For now we need to try and stop the bleeding." Ed nodded jerkily, not fully absorbing the information. He motioned for Al to come over and once Al was kneeling beside him Ed placed Winry in his arms.

"I need more sheets, I need a tourniquet." He muttered, scrambling around the workshop and knocking things over before he found several sheets and ripped the rope off of the water bucket. He hurried back to Winry's side, settling beside her bloody sheet covered stump. "Al, look away." Al turned his head to the side, grateful he didn't have to see the condition Winry was in since it would probably destroy his concentration and cool head. Ed quickly tore away the sheet and lifted her leg, sliding the rope under it before tying it around the stump.

"Ed." Winry groaned, tossing her head to the side. Ed was surprised she knew he was here and even more shocked she was conscious. "Ed, I'm sorry..." She hissed, pain filling her voice as Ed continued to move her leg while wrapping it in sheets.

"Shut up you crazy gearhead, we're gonna get through this." Ed growled, pulling the sheets tighter and tighter.

He couldn't lose Winry, too.

The next few hours, putting them sometime into the early morning since the boys had arrived in the late afternoon, passed in a blur of changing sheets, telling Winry to stay alive even after she fell unconscious at one point, and tightening the tourniquet. Upon the doctor's arrival Ed felt a rush of relief, but he wasn't naive enough to believe Winry was out of danger just because a professional was by her side. He and Al were seated side-by-side on the living room couch when the workshop door creaked open. Both boys jumped to their feet, desperate for information on Winry's condition.

The doctor was wiping blood from his hands with an already stained cloth, a bad sign for the boys. "I'm not going to lie, she is still in danger. She lost quite a bit of blood and in the way the leg was removed; there was a lot of damage done to the nerves, muscles, and bone. I did even out the section of damaged leg so it will heal cleaner. For now she needs a lot of rest so her leg can heal. I've surgically closed up the wound and I will be returning periodically to check on the stitches. They will be removed when I see it fit for her to be able to heal naturally the rest of the way.

"Now, she-seeing as she is an automail engineer-will probably be receiving some of it. To lessen the damage, I recommend she does that before the outer skin totally heals so fewer incisions have to be made." The man stooped down and scooped up his medical case. "I will return in a week to check on Miss Rockbell. My orders are for now is for her to be bedridden and eat well so her body can repair itself." Ed nodded, still somewhat in shock over the same thing.

"By the injury can you tell how the leg was removed? Where is the rest of it?" Al asked, voicing Ed's thoughts.

"The leg was rather brutally severed. Most likely, by how it isn't a clean cut but sections appear to have alike depth of removal, the leg was chopped at until it was completely removed. On that note, it seems the leg was removed in a fashion meant to be excruciatingly painful and one that would cause the most damage. Whoever did this was vicious and did not hold back. As for the rest of the leg, whoever did this is obviously sick and twisted so they might have taken the rest of the leg as a sort of souvenir. Currently, she is residing on a bed in her workshop, but I recommend you very gently move her to a more comfortable location since she should be moved as little as possible." With that the doctor strode out, the whole house shaking as the door slammed behind him.

"Brother, why would someone hurt Winry?" Ed, for once, was speechless. Someone had purposely hacked at Winry's leg with something sharp while she was _conscious _until the leg had completely been taken off. Why would someone do that to Winry? She didn't have any enemies. Sure, lots of people were envious of her and her fascinating skills to be able to do almost anything she attempted, but no one really hated her. He ran a hand through his hair, his thoughts going a mile a minute as he tried to understand _who _and _why someone _would attack Winry in such a merciless manner.

He, realizing that he could go see Winry now that the doctor was done, briskly walked to the workshop, dodging scattered things that had been knocked over in his earlier frenzy to get fresh cloths to cover Winry's leg. Upon entering the workshop, Ed felt a rush of relief at how much better Winry looked. With her hair matted with sweat, her body glistening with it as well, her leg wrapped in a lump of bandages, and blood stained cloths surrounding her, she still looked beautiful. Her beauty had been one of the few things he had been able to admit to himself.

He rushed to her side, kneeling down and grabbing her left hand between his metal and flesh ones. Al was quickly by her other side, also clutching one of her hands. Holding a part of her seemed to reassure both brothers she really was still with them and wasn't leaving if they had any hand in the matter. Ed, with a strangled laugh, dropped his forehead to rest against the hand of her's he was clutching. "You can't scare us like that, Winry."

"Brother, should we move her now?" Ed jerked his head up at his brother's words, nodding slowly. They both, almost in sync, got to their feet.

"Put one hand under her knees and-" Ed stopped speaking, realizing she didn't have knee**_s _**for Al to put a hand under. "Put a hand under her waist and another under her upper back." Al did as he was instructed, succeeding in only earning a low moan from Winry. Ed gathered the extra bandages, water bowl to rinse Winry with, and blankets in his arms before heading out of the workshop. He held the door open with his foot as Al squeezed through the doorframe with Winry tucked against his chest plate. They climbed the stairs up to Winry's room, reaching it with amazing speed because of their rushed pace. Ed spread the extra blankets out across the bed and set the bandages as well as the water bowl on the nightstand.

Al settled Winry on her bed with care, making sure to be extra gentle with her, well, _stump. _Once both boys had finished their tasks they turned their focus back to the sleeping blond. Al was thinking, _Why would someone want to hurt Winry? _While Ed was thinking, _I'm going to find who did this to Winry and cut off his di-_


	2. Secrets Best Left Kept

**A/N: I am so excited that I already got two reviews! Thanks you guys for reviewing Shaded Moon Alchemist and Immortal Fallen Radiance! Also, I know Winry waking up the next day isn't very realistic with how much blood she lost, but I need her to be awake so she can have that scene with Ed.**

**Immortal Fallen Radiance: I decided I didn't like Winry being so alone in the world, so my mind went crazy creating this story idea. Also, yeah...I'm kind of a twisted person so the whole leg thing was actually pretty normal for me...**

Winry POV

The searing pain in my leg was the first thing I was aware of; followed by the nerves in my hand notifying my brain that something cold was clutching it. I struggled to lift my eyelids, my head groggy and my thoughts clouded. I tried to recall where I was and what had happened before I fell asleep, but I drew a blank. My eyes were unfocused, blurs of color filling my vision. White, red, and yellow-no, blond? I willed my eyes to focus, straining to see what was to my left where my hand was cold. After several minutes of trying and working to get my vision under control, Ed came into view.

He was sitting in a chair by my bedside but was slumped over so his upper body was sprawled on the left side of my bed and my left hand was cradled between his metal and flesh ones. I then focused on studying the rest of the room. I was in my room, but by how soft my bed felt there were extra blankets on it. When I looked down, I sucked in a deep breath and felt the panic pushing through me. My leg was gone. Where was my leg? Why the hell was my le-

_Oh god_, I remembered. He had come in an hour after Grandma had left to go grocery shopping and pick up parts which was going to be an overnight trip, demanding I let him in for automail. I had turned him down, telling him to return when Grandma had come back so she could help him. Then he had barged in to the house and- I let out a whimper, images flashing through my mind, bloody images that made my stomach turn and my skin pale. Would he be back?

I felt the cold intensify and realized Ed had tightened his grip on my hand. I jerked my gaze to turn to him, studying his face. He had a confused expression, what almost appeared to be _fear _in his eyes which made me confused. I'd never seen Ed show his fear.

"Winry?" He asked, sounding like he was checking to make sure I was really awake. Had a woken before?

"Hi." I croaked my throat dry. He immediately stood and moved to my nightstand, bringing a cup of water with him when he returned to my side. He brought it up to my cracked lips, slowly pouring the water down my throat little by little. Once the water had been drained from the cup, though I was still thirsty, Ed placed the empty cup on my nightstand again and turned his gaze to my eyes.

"Do you remember what happened?" I flinched when he asked that, an onslaught of images rushing through my mind. "Winry?" His voice was panicked, bringing panic to me. Ed never panicked.

"I'm fine." I whispered, settling back against my pillow. I stared at Ed, glancing from his golden eyes to his blond hair and finally to his gloved hands. "I can't tell you, I'm sorry." He looked shocked, completely taken by surprise by my response. I couldn't help but think, _Finally getting a taste of your own medicine. You're used to being the one saying that, aren't you? _Then, the hurt settled across his face and I focused harder on his hands so I wouldn't break down like I knew I would if I saw his face.

"Winry, if whoever attacked you threatened you in any way I will kill them." _Of course you will Ed, because that will solve everything. Kill the problem. Ever think I'm in deeper than that? Ever think you can't take out the number of people after me? No, not innocent little Winry. _"I will kill them, you'll be okay. You just need to tell me who it was." _Of course you'll never just say 'I'll protect you.' No, it has to be 'I'll be a murderer for you.' I don't want that._

"I'm sorry Ed, but I can't." That seemed to strike a nerve, that I wouldn't be swayed by his promises of staining his hands for me. He slammed his metal hand on my nightstand, shaking the bowl of water and overturning the empty cup. He glared at the sheets on my bed, seeming to be trying to burn a hole in them with his eyes. I remained silent, refusing to budge. I'd stayed quiet for sixteen years, well, only ten since I'd only known of the danger since I was six when the first attack I'd been around for had occurred.

"I can help you, just tell me." If only he had any idea, then he might not be making such big agreements to save me doomed ass. I shook my head again, turning my face to look away from him. Then, as expected from the temperamental blond, Ed jumped to his feet and stormed out of the room. I snuggled into my blankets and pillows, the feeling of numbness shutting me down. The numbness didn't come often, and I was still trying to decide whether I liked it or not. It stopped everything affecting me, I really felt nothing when it took over, but at the same time it made me feel like someone else, something inhuman.

I spent the rest of the sprawled out in bed, my gaze alternating from looking at my stump of a leg to staring at the ceiling. Al came up once, offering me lunch that I politely declined. He seemed to get I wanted to be alone after several minutes of me just staring at the remains of my leg. Finally, around seven, I heard the front door open. I braced myself for Granny's reaction, knowing what had happened would stress her out more than she would let on. First, I hear the clatter of metal as she probably had dropped her parts followed by the sound of her, at a rather quick pace, climb the stairs and make her way to my room. By the time she had opened the door, I was staring at the doorway with a blank expression.

At first she just stared at me, her hand clenched on the doorknob and her eyes unreadable. "You need to tell the boys what is going on. They have the right to know."

"I can't do that. It will put them behind schedule on following leads if they're here watching over me." Her gaze then turned to a harsh glare.

"So you'll risk the next visit ending in your death?" I winced at Granny's disgusted tone as she was trying to discourage me from staying quiet.

"If that means Ed and Al can continue to try and get their bodies back without worrying about me, then yes." I sighed; the past day's events catching up to me finally and making me want to sleep for the next several days.

"Get you're head on straight; those boys already worry about you." She told me in a harsh whisper. I almost laughed when she told me that. _Am I really supposed to believe that?_

"Granny, I'm not telling them anything." She stared at me for several moments after that, seeming to be waiting for me to change my mind, before turning on her heel and slamming the door behind her.

Ed POV

I was on my feet as soon as Pinako came into the kitchen, waiting for news on what Winry had told her. She simply strolled past me, heading towards the workshop and ignoring me completely. "Hey, old lady-" I grabbed her arm, whirling her around to face me.

"Ed, I suggest you leave me as well as Winry alone. She is in no condition to be talking about what happened and you will not push her. If she wishes to tell you, she will, but I can only say this. You really don't know anything about her, only what she chooses to show you."

Pinako then ripped her arm from my grasped and stormed into the workshop. Al, who was seated in the chair across from where I stood, glanced from between the workshop door and I. "Brother, what did she mean by that? Is Winry keeping things from us?" I dropped back down into a chair, fisting my hands in my hair.

"I don't know Al, but we're gonna get to the bottom of this." What the hell was Winry hiding from us, why the hell wasn't she telling us anything, and who the hell had chopped off her leg? I desperately needed to figure out what Winry wasn't telling me, because what if she was still in danger?

Al shifted across from me, seeming as uncomfortable as I. I hated to admit it, but _we _were always the ones with secrets. Winry had always been the nice little girl who waited at home for the two troublesome boys who hid things from her to protect her from seeing the true horrors of the world. "Brother, I'm scared for Winry."

My unspoken words hung in the air, adding to the seriousness of the situation. _I am too._


	3. Meet the Monster

**A/N: Please tell me if anything if wrong (Location names, way of addressing one another (with or without military titles?), personality...etc.) I will again remind you guys I haven't watched the whole series and I mainly skip around looking for episodes with Winry in them since she is my favorite character.**

Ed was jerked awake by the ringing of the telephone, his head lifting quickly from the table. With the back of his sleeve he swiped away stray drool from his mouth as he made his way to the phone. A quick glance out the window notified him it was still early in the morning, possibly around four maybe five a.m., because of the darkness that still blanketed the outside. "Rockbell residence." He answered, cracking his neck to ease it's stiffness from being pressed against the kitchen table as he slept.

"Edward?" Ed blinked, trying to figure out why Mustang would be calling.

"Mustang, I can't come back to central right now Winry got hu-"

"That's why I'm calling Edward. The doctor who cared for you called it in, saying he was worried about Risembol's favorite mechanic. Do you have any leads on who attacked her?"

Ed sighed, bringing a hand up to massage his temples. "She won't talk to me." He hated to admit this to anyone, but especially Mustang. "By the time Al and I got here she was alone in the workshop bleeding heavily."

"Does she have any known enemies?"

"Why the hell do you care so much?" Ed snarled, annoyed with Mustang's nosiness.

"Edward, this could be bigger than Winry. If we have a killer on the loose we need to try and catch whoever it is before they strike again. Can you honestly tell me that you think Winry made a bad enough enemy that they would show up her house and brutally chop off her leg?" Ed remained silent at that comment, not able to honestly say he thought so, but with Winry keeping secrets the whole thing was extremely suspicious.

"Mustang, there was no one here when we arrived and Winry isn't talking. I don't know what you expect me to say."

"For now, I want you to stay with Winry. The attacker obviously expected her to be alone for quite a while since her Grandmother was gone and you two were unexpected. The attacker may have even had the goal of letting Winry bleed to death." That made Ed freeze, his grip on the phone tightening. He hadn't considered that. If he and Al hadn't decided to for once drop by and see Winry, she would be dead. At that thought he sucked in a deep breath.

"Mustang, I need to keep interrogating Winry. I will get information out of her, I will-" A loud clatter from the second story made him pause. "I'll call you back later." He growled in a whisper into the phone, sliding it down on the receiver. He cautiously made his way through the kitchen and living room to the stairs. He climbed them hastily, panic flooding him. When he finally reached the top of the stairs and bolted to Winry's room he tore open her door and was greeted with the sight of Winry on the floor with the phone in her room knocked over on the floor beside her. She was attempting to use the wall to pull herself back up. "Winry!"

She looked up when he called her name, glancing around before spotting him. When she did she seemed to try harder to pull herself up, succeeding partially before her good leg began to slip from under her. Ed quickly darted to her and got behind her so she fell backwards into his chest. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist, sighing as her head settled back against his shoulder. "What the hell did you think you were doing?"

She was silent for a while in which time he pulled her backwards with him to the bed where he sat down with her in his lap. "You can't drag the state into this. Tell Mustang I will not be talking if he doesn't keep his and his' buddies noses out this."

Ed looked at her with an incredulous expression. "Winry, what are you talking about? The state needs to catch this person before anyone else is hurt."

"If the state steps in people _will _get hurt! Please Ed, get Mustang to back off! You need to!" She was becoming hysterical, tears beginning to flow down her cheeks as she chocked on her sobs.

"Winry, you need to tell me what's going on! If you're in danger, I'll kill whoever is after you!" Winry only sobbed harder, so Ed resigned himself to pulling her closer to him. After several minutes her sobs resided to sniffles and finally became silence.

"Ed, you need to listen carefully. The state can't get mixed in with this. Neither can you. You need to trust me when I say I'm handling this." Ed wanted to slap her, scream at her, shake her until she understood that especially in her state; she couldn't handle whatever the threat was. And how would the state helping get more people hurt?

Ed shook his head. "Winry, Al and I are going to stick around here for a while and hopefully you'll get the gears your head working again and talk to us. I'll call off Mustang, but I just hope it's the right choice."

"Ed you can't just drop your quest for your bodies just because I lost a leg!" Winry argued, devastated that one of her worst nightmares was coming true. Ed and Al were dropping their true goal because of her.

"You might have lost your life if Al and I hadn't arrived!" Ed retorted, confused on why Winry wanted everything back to normal when they were far from it.

"I know that."

Ed was at a loss for words from her response. She had been in the clutches of death and it didn't faze her? "Winry, I was _terrified_ when I saw you lying there in a puddle of your own blood alone. Al and I are going to stay here for a while and you can't do anything about it."

Winry sighed, realizing she had lost. At the same time, she was rather proud of Ed for speaking about his feelings and happy that he had feared her death. "Promise me you'll call off Mustang and any other state officials who want to look into this?"

"Promise." With that, Winry felt relieved enough to let the exhaustion from her attempted walking to lull her to sleep.

Ed's eyes remained trained on the blond in his arms, questions swarming through his head and bringing a strong headache with them. He very gently left Winry off his lap and settled her into her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. That way, if you weren't really looking, Winry appeared to still have both legs. If only things were still like that. Just as he was standing up the door opened and Ed whirled around to see Al standing there, filling the whole door.

"Brother, is Winry alright?"

Ed shrugged, unable to really give an answer to the question. "Hell if I know. She still won't tell me anything and is now making me promise to keep the state out of this. Saying something about people getting hurt if the state did get involved." He glanced back at his blond mechanic, another surge of confusion rushing through him.

"Brother, what if this really is just against Winry? What if someone really is after her?" The logical part of Ed's brain was sent into a whirlwind of rushed ideas and fears at that thought, but the more stubborn part of him refused to even acknowledge that suggestion.

"C'mon, let's get out so she can sleep." Ed, pulling Al out with him, left the room and silently closed the door behind him. Merely seconds after their exit, two glowing purple eyes flew open. Winry had already sensed his presence; it stirring her from her sleep like her body knew that keeping him waiting could be dangerous. The black of his clothes helped him blend into the shadows of the lingering night.

Winry POV

"It seems unfortunate that you survived our least date, doesn't it Winry?" I swallowed the lump in my throat, the fear of accidently stepping over the invisible lines he set there ten times stronger than any time I'd seen him before.

"Are they safe?"

"How sweet." He hissed, staying in the shadows but moving closer to me. "Even in her _tragic_ condition the ever inspiring Winry Rockbell manages to focus her concern on others." He then sneered, I could tell by the sound of her voice. "I hope it gets you killed one day." Then, in a lighter and giddier tone, "Oh yes, it almost did! Your need to protect that brat almost got you killed by _me_!"

I swallowed again, unable to rid myself of the nervous lump in my throat. "Are. They. Safe."

"Of course, I'm not stupid. I knew that when you died I'd still need some leverage and I figured your boyfriend would continue your life spiritually or shit like that by saving them."

I let out a shaky sigh of relief, the heavily weighing guilt releasing me. "Why do you hate Ed so much?"

"No reason in particular. Why sweetheart, trying to figure out how you can make a deal with me and save your soul?"

I growled at that, furious that he would pin me as a coward. "Actually, I'm trying to get your motives so I can subdue you." He seemed to ignore me, in thought probably.

"You know, maybe you living and being all secretive will work to my benefit. The brothers plan to stay here while you recover. I can, what is the saying, _kill two birds with one stone?_" I wanted to shriek for Ed and Al to run far, far away, but I couldn't do that.

"Please, let my parents go. They're of no use to you. They have nothing to do with this."

"Oh, but don't they?" He exclaimed in a falsely curious voice. "First, they are, or what they consider were, second parents to the brothers. Losing them **again** would be too much for them so in the case you become, _expendable, _they can take your place. Second, and most importantly, they keep you from opening your mouth. I know you Winry." He moved to my bedside, reaching out with his sickening fingers and stroking my cheek with the backs of them. "You care a hell of a lot more for Ed than yourself, so if I didn't have your parents you'd gladly tell the boys to run and not care about the painful death that would befall you.

"That's one of the things I like about you, you're so noble. So brave, the perfect woman." With a quick movement he sliced open my cheek with a single finger. Then, as the sun rose and illuminated my room, his green locks began to glow, but I knew they were no halo.


	4. Screams of Hope

**CHP 4**

**A/N: **I know I haven't updated this in forever, but I hit a rough patch where I had no idea to move this story. I got a little inspiration, so please enjoy this chapter!

Mustang slammed his hand down on his desk, growling. "What do you mean by end the investigation Fullmetal? I can't do that!"

"Mustang, Winry was saying people would get hurt if things were investigated by the state. Do you want that?" Mustang let out a frustrated sigh, torn on what to do about the incident.

"Did she say anything else?"

"Not really. She was insistent on it though. No state officials at all." Mustang forced out a long breath through his teeth.

"Alright, say I do managed to stop any investigation. Where does that get us?" he questioned, not really expecting an answer. "What if this guy kills again? Fullmetal, what if he comes back and kills _Winry_?" There was only heavy breathing on the other end of the line before beeping fillled Mustang's ear letting him know the alchemist was done with their conversation. Mustand slammed the phone down, letting out a string of curses in an attempt to release some of his pent up frustration.

A voice from his doorway brought him from his brooding and lifted his head. "Sir?" There, dressed in her usual military attire, stood Hawkeye watching him with a cautious expression like he was a bomb that could be detonated by the slightest wrong move. "Would you like to go to the shooting range?" He nodded and grabbed his jacket before the headed out. The range wasn't much, simply some targets and open area, but Hawkeye frequented the place in her downtime, a fact he'd learned from Armstrong, and she invited him once in a while. Her invitations coincidentally seemed to come whenever something was bothering him, the type of anger or frustration that could be helped by shooting something.

He had to admit the woman was one of a kind, able to read him and figure out how to cut his red wire, stop him from blowing up as he so often pictured himself doing when he caught wind of the idiotic and cruel things some people did. He also couldn't deny having noticed her 'womanly' figure and she was the only woman he knew to have caught his eye in such a way. Sometimes having her around could turn into a distraction. A good distraction, but a distraction none the less.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Winry winced at Granny re-wrapped her stump and she stared at it, having been propping it up and watching it heal for three days. "I want the surgery. Today." Granny looked up at her, her face only showing traces of surprise since Winry saying it had been inevitable.

"Now Winry, you know it's a painful surgery. You could always stick with a cane or something else-"

"That isn't good enough. I won't have full mobility then." It annoyed her that she'd never heard Granny try to talk a customer out of surgery, yet she was trying to convince her not to. "I'm doing this." She swung her leg and stump around, letting her leg dangle over the edge of the bed.

It bothered her. It bothered her that there was only one thin piece of pale white flesh and bone hanging off the covers. It wasn't like she was crossing one leg or sitting on it, it was just gone. That would hinder her automail skills and make everday life more difficult, sacrifices she was not going to make. "Go set up, I'll meet you downstairs." Granny turned and left the room, leaving Winry to choke down her tears before pushing herself to her _foot _and hop towards the door. Once she reached it she had to pause to catch her breath, the difficultly of the task sending a stab of frustration through her. When she made it into the upstairs hallway she took several deep breaths before begining her descent down the stairs.

On only the third step down her foot was tilted when it landed because of the uneven weight and slipped from under her sending her falling backwards before plunging, on her back, down the stairs. Each step dug into her spine and smacked against her head bringing on jabs of pain along with the blinding pain from her leg being jostled. When she settled in a heap at the bottom of the stairs she heard metal clanging and when she got the strength to open her eyes she found Al crouching by her side with his hands hovering in the air over her like he was afraid to hurt her by touching her.

That was the final straw. She forced herself up and across the room to the workshop, yanking open the door, hopping inside, and slamming the door behind her. She ignored Granny's piercing look as she made her way to the operating table, wincing as the cold metal pressed against her stinging spine but refusing to give up. Soon she felt Granny's small hands unwrapping her just changed bandages before the light from the overhead lamp shone off the scapel she held in hand.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Ed heard the first scream in the middle of washing off after a long training session. He had to pause and listen to make sure his paranoid mind hadn't made it up, but a second scream confirmed his fears and still shirtless he took off running towards the house where the screams were originating from. He bolted up the front steps and threw open the front door almost colliding with Al, making him confused as to why his brother wasn't helping Winry. He had no time to dwell on the thought though and ran towards the workshop where the screams were coming from. He was almost to the door when two metal arms wrapped around him and picked him up, lifting him off the ground.

"Alphonse, put me down! Winry needs us!" He screamed and kicked, trying to free himself from his younger, but **taller **brother's grasp.

"No brother, you can't go in there!"

"And why the hell not?"

"Winry is having the automail surgery." Ed froze, stopping his struggles and going limp.

"She's going through that surgery?" His voice was quiet when he spoke, his voice toned down to a whisper and almost inaudible.

"When Granny went up to change her bandages she decided to get it. She fell down the stairs getting to the workshop and that just pushed her to get her mobility back more, brother." Ed watched the workshop door, hearing Winry's scream, with a twisted expression a mixture of anger and pain. He couldn't bear to hear Winry's screams, so close and so loud. Al lowered him to the ground and he made his way to a pair of chairs mysteriously placed next to the workshop with Al in tow. The two boys took their seats and sat beside one another, listening to the pained screams of their best friend fill their home.

For reasons Ed couldn't understand, he was unable to cover his ears with his hands. Like his mind was convinced hearing Winry's screams would help ease her pain, a ridiculous idea, but Ed absolutely hated to be helpless.


	5. Never Missing

**A/N:** Btw, Ed and Al had already lost their parents and lost their bodies before Envy entered Winry's life. Enjoy!

In the begining hours of the morning the screaming ceased and things became calmer in the house. The two brothers, the only one who could sleep refusing to, had remained seated outside the worskshop watching over the door in hopes of seeing it open. Every second had been painfully slow and Ed had clenched his closed fists that were intertwined. When the door finally slid open with a squeak both boys jumped to their feet and Ed stumbled from his feet having fallen asleep. Pinako looked up at the boys, her glasses pushed up high on her nose and her pipe absent from her hand.

"She's resting," was all the old woman proclaimed before heading towards the staircase and clambering up them towards her bedroom. Ed cautiously stepped into the workshop, fearing the sight that would greet him. What he saw made him want to turn and throw up despite the number of gruesome things he'd seen, but he clamped his mouth shut and refused to give into the urge to be sick. Lying in sea of blood soaked and some vomit soaked cloths was Winry, her blond hair pullled back into a ponytail that fell off the edge of the operating table and spilled onto the ground. Her body was soaked in sweat and glistened in the dim light of the overhead lamp and the slight illumination from the rising sun outside.

It was like walking was a whole new task and Ed forced his muscles to lift his metal leg and set it back down before repeating the action with the flesh leg. Slowly his re-learning to function legs carried him to Winry's side. She wore a long white t-shirt and underwear, the lack of right leg left made any type of clothing on her legs impossible without getting in the way. He reached out a hand and touched the cold metal port that was now a part of her. It shouldn't have had to become a part of her. She didn't deserve to have to struggle with re-learning daily functions. She didn't deserve anything but perfection and that a normal life, beside the fact that her two best friends were going on a journey to get their bodies back, had been ripped from her hands infuriated him.

He splayed his palm out flat on her port and brushed it along the metal feeling every groove and screw under his skin. His boiling anger was slightly disapated when he imagined Winry working on her own leg that she'd get when Pinako completed it, perfecting it so that when he took her to Rush Valley again it would her being admired for the automail she wore _and _created. Then he imagined all those men grabbing at her and a jealous fit grabbed hold of him making him move his hand from her leg to her limp hand where he grabbed onto it.

"Brother, is Winry going to be okay?" Al seemed to ask the most important questions and Ed hated to be unable to answer them with certainty. He was about to reply a regular, 'I don't know', when he felt Winry tighten their clasped hand's grip and looked down to see her, in her sleep, tightly clutching to his warm hand.

A smile creeped up onto his face and he announced, "She's a stubborn gearhead, she'll be fine."

~.~.P~.I~.N~.A~.K~.O~.~.

The elderly woman seated herself on the edge of her bed near the head of it. With a deep sigh she reached out and took the picture of her son and daughter-in-law off her nightstand and grasped it between her small and wrinkled hands. She greatly feared the day when she was gone and Winry had to face the threat of that wretched thing on her own. Pinako traced her frail finger across the faces of the man and woman photographed; recalling the day all hell had broken loose.

_Flashback_

_Winry was seated at the kitchen table, fiddling with an older model of automail Pinako had relinquished to her after Winry had begged her. Winry's small six year old hands could reach in the tighter places of the arm she was working on and she was doing surprisingly well fixing it up. There was a knock at the door and Pinako, who was seated across from Winry, moved to get the door but was beat by Winry's mother. She pulled open the door with a smiled to greet their visitor, but after a moment let out a shriek._

_Pinako ran to the door and Winry dropped her project to go find out what her mother was upset about. Standing in the doorway was a green haired...man? It held Winry's father with a knife pressed to his throat, grinning madly. "Mrs. Rockbell, for the safety of your husband, I'm going to need to ask you to come with me." Winry's mother began to cry, shouting for Winry to run. Pinako tried to shove the child away but she dodged past her mother and grandmother before running to her father who was telling her to get away. When she got close enough the green haired man shoved her father away and snatched up Winry._

_Her parent screamed as the stranger lifted the left side of Winry's sundress until it was above her waist where he pressed the knife. "Let me in," he commanded and all the Rockbells obeyed. The man stepped into the house and kicked the door closed behind him. "Mr. and Mrs. Rockbell, I'm going to need you to come with me. Otherwise, little Winry might not be safe."_

_Winry's mother was sobbing and reaching for her baby while Winry's father was holding his wife back so the green haired man wouldn't harm their daughter. Pinako was the first to speak and demanded, "What do you want?"_

_The stranger's grin grew and he stated, "I thought you'd never ask." He pressed the knife harder against Winry's skin and her mother screamed out a protest._

_"Now hush or you won't get to hear my story," the man scolded with his same disturbing grin. Winry struggled in his arms, but more pressure from the knife stopped her from moving and brought tears to her eyes. "The Elric brothers, I'm sure you're familiar with them, are my real targets. Little brats are going to screw things up if they go looking for a philosopher's stone. That is why I need to take you two hostage. Winry here will convince the boys to stay here, not leave. Once that happens, you two may return to your lovely home. I have one simple request." Then, in a sudden movement, he dug the knife into Winry's side and began carving._

_There were screams of anger from all the Rockbells and cries of pain from Winry. When he finally stopped one word was carved into her side and it confused everyone but the stranger. "_**_Envy_**_?" Winry's mother read and the stranger looked pleased._

_"That's my name. So you two come with me, Winry and granny stay behind and pretend you went off to play doctor in the Ishbalin war. When Winry convinces the brothers to remain here, you may return home." The two doctors went to the door and Envy dropped Winry before jumping towards the doctors and producing a second knife from his sleeve. He pressed a knife to each of their backs, putting them against where he knew the thin weapons could slip through their ribs and puncture organs. The doctors realized it too because the cooperated and shuffled out the door with Envy behind them. "Tell no one, or your parents and everyone you love will die before your eyes."_

_End Flashback_

Pinako remembered bandaging the sobbing Winry. She also remembered every horror that had followed that day.

~.~.A~.L~.P~.H~.O~.N~.S~.E~.~.

Al calmly walked down the path towards town whistling, Auntie having asked him after Ed fell asleep to go into town and get bandages as well as more metal and, if he had the hands, groceries too. He was nearing town when gentleman standing on the path came into view. The man was dressed in black slacks and a black trench coat with dress shoes and a matching fedora. Al wondered why the man was dressed in such dark and heavy clothes when it was sunny and presumably warm outside. He gave a polite nod to the man, but when he walked past him something felt...**off, **about the stranger. He comforted himself by vowing to mention the man to brother when he returned from his trip. He continued walking and whistling, but his tune took on a darker tone without him realizing it.

~.~.W~.I~.N~.R~.Y~.~.

She seemed to be waking up to temperature changes a lot lately. Her hand felt warm and as she cracked open her eyes she saw Ed slumped in a seat beside the operating table she was lying on. He was snoring, making her laugh quietly, and she stared at their joined hands. She tightened her grip on his hand subconsciously as she thought of the trials that lay ahead of her. Walking was going to be the first and hardest thing to master. She hesitantly released Ed's hand and forced herself up into a sitting position despite the aching and pain throughout her body. Thrashing around on a metal table while strapped down would leave you exhausted and bruised.

She turned slowly, moving her bad leg with her hand, and hung her only _leg _off the edge of the table and took a deep breath before setting her still just a _foot_ down on the ground. She reminded herself that would change as soon as Auntie had completed her leg. She then worked on slowly trying to move her bad leg. She gritted her teeth from the way the remainder of her leg was hurting horribly. She immediatly pulled back and lifted her foot from the ground to place her limbs back onto the table, hissing at the discomfort and odd feelings that her body couldn't adjust to.

"What do you think you're doing?" Winry jerked her head up to see Pinako standing in the workshop doorway.

"Your leg is going to be sore and very fragile. You know that. You'll be confined back to a bed until I decied you're ready to had your leg attached and then we can work on adjusting you to life with automail. For now, rest." Her talking had stirred Ed from his slumber and the blonde opened his eyes before spotting Winry sitting up and gritting his teeth. He was quickly by her side, examining her.

"Idiot, don't move around too much or you'll hurt yourself." Winry glared at him and he smirked at her, unable to think of anything else to do in the situation that made him so damn **scared**. He'd faced guns, monsters, murders, you name it and he'd fought it, but seeing Winry having such a difficult time and in pain scared him. Usually he could throw some punches and fix things, but that would do nothing in their current predicament.

"Like you listenened to orders."

Ed simply shrugged and replied, "Yeah, but I'm way stronger than you." Wrong thing to say.

Winry's face twisted into one of determination and she threw her limbs back over the edge of the bed, ignoring the burning. She recalled Ed saying they were phantom pains, but she refused to bow to them. She slid her legs off the bed and turned to steady her balance against the bed before shoving herself up off the bed onto her left leg and teetered, trying to catch her balence. Ed saw what was going to happen next before she did and dove in front of her slightly to her right as she pitched backward. She crashed into him and the two toppled over in a tangle of arms, _legs_, and torsos. When the two settled in a pile on the ground with Winry's back pressed against Ed's chest, Winry letting out a moan of pain, Ed glared at her and stated, "I told you so."

She wasn't paying attention to him though because when she looked down it looked like Ed's flesh leg was her's and she didn't mind so much of their position. In her dazed state she didn't reailze she was speaking aloud and stated, "It almost looks like Envy never took it."


	6. Truth of the Lies

**A/N: **Thanks to TaIoRaFoReVeR523 I've had help with the details of Fullmetal Alchemist and gotten the inspiration to write! Enjoy!

Everything came to a standstill in the workshop, Pinako standing frozen in the doorway, Winry snapping out her daze and gaining a horrified expression, and Ed was staring up at the blond lying on his chest.

"What the hell do you mean by Envy took it? Your leg?" Ed shouted after several minutes of stunned silence and Winry squeezed her eyes shut, chanting _Stupid, stupid, stupid! _When he didn't receive a response Ed looked to Pinako and realized, by her shocked and pale expression, she had known. "What is going on here?" In a sudden rush of fury at being kept in the dark Ed shoved Winry off him and she rolled over onto her port. She cried out in pain but Ed ignored her, getting to his feet swiftly as Pinako ran to Winry's side to check the port for damage and Winry for injury. "You two knew who took your leg!" Ed shouted accusingly at Winry as she lied on the ground with closed eyes and clenched hands.

Pinako turned a fierce glare on the alchemist and hotly retorted, "This is neither the time nor place! Help me get her back on the table!" Ed did not move and the old woman yelled, "Edward Elric, you help me right now!" The sob of pain from Winry combined with that exclamation seemed to pull him away from his anger long enough to help Pinako lift Winry up onto the table. Once the now crying and writhing in the frustration of being unable to stop the burning pain Winry was set on the table Ed stepped back and ran a hand through his hair.

"Who told Envy about Winry? What made him want her dead? Why did he attack and try to kill her? When did Winry get involved with him? Where did Envy meet Winry?" Going through the five W questions in a flurry of yelling Ed demanded information as Pinako hurried to strap down the wriggling and crying Winry. "Why did you tell me?"

"Because Winry was trying to put herself between you and Envy to protect you!" Ed stopped speaking when Pinako shouted that at him. He couldn't comprehend what she meant by that and waited for her to elaborate. The short older woman pulled the last restraint tighter and Winry began to settle. "Envy never wanted you to get involved with the philosophers stone. He came to the house when Winry was six with knives. Demanded her parents go with him and told us they could return when Winry convinced you not to go on the journey for the stone. Then the military showed up and you left with Al by your side. Envy was furious, went on a rampage that left Winry in bad shape, but she looked that bastard in the eye and told him, 'I won't stop Ed from getting his happiness back.' "

Ed just stared at Pinako, trying to aboard all the information being thrown at him. Because of him, Winry's parents had been taken. Because of him, Winry had been beaten up. Because of him, she'd suffered in fear under the green haired demon of jealousy. _Because of him_ Winry had lost a leg and almost bled to death.

"Envy found that amusing and decided to change his terms. He told her he'd keep her parents alive if she would keep him updated on your travels. Why do you think she was so upset when you didn't tell her anything? Every time she came back without any news, she knew there was a possibility Envy would break the deal and kill her parents," Pinako spat, sounding like she needed to get all the information out so it would help ease the secret's burden off her shoulders. "You've been so busy running around worrying about you and Al you didn't pause to think about the girl that made it possible for you to walk. Did you ever notice she would have a fresh bruise or two every time you showed up? Envy has a hobby of roughing her up before you come to prove he has power over her!

"Have you ever noticed the scar on her left side? Of course not, because you never stick around long enough." Ed was shaking in fury, the anger aimed at both Envy and himself. With shaking fingers he stepped up to Winry and lifted the edge up her tank top, pulling it up under the restraints until just above her hip he found the scar Pinako spoke of.

"**Envy**. The bastard branded her?" he whispered mostly to himself.

"Ed, I don't mean to sound so accusing, but Winry and I have been waiting ten years for you to notice something was off because that demon would have killed her parents if she told you. She has lived in fear all those years. Why do you think she loves to come to you when your automail breaks? Getting out of this house and town for a while gives her a taste of freedom before she returns to this cage." It all made sense to Ed, the excitement of seeing him, the need to know what he and Al had been up to, the need to come to him, but he had such a hard time accepting everything. His best friend, the girl he loved, had been tortured and lived in constant for ten years because of him.

He dropped into the chair beside Winry's makeshift bed, frozen in the horrifying shock. She had fallen asleep almost immediatly after Pinako had restrained her, having worn herself out. He let his head nestle into his hands and tears somehow found their way out of his eyes before dripping onto the floor. "Oh god, what have I done."

At that moment a knock came at the door and Pinako's color drained. "He's here."

"What do you mean he's here?"

"Envy was going to come back and make sure Winry didn't tell you anything while you were here, he sometimes comes secretly in his form and other times comes in the form of a 'customer'. There is no way Al is back from town now." Pinako then ran to Winry and began to remove the restraints she had just put on the girl. "We need to hide Winry. She can't deal with him like this and Envy, while an asshole, is observant enough to recognize she's told you if you talk to him. This can only end in a fight."

Ed joined Pinako in her efforts to free Winry and ground his teeth together every time there was another knock on the door. Eventually they freed the sleeping blond and Ed lifted onto his back piggyback style before looking to Pinako for direction. "Just put her where you think she'll be farthest from the fight. I'll stall and then you come back. Hopefully Al will be back soon to help. While you fend of Envy I'll attach Winry's leg so I can at least try to get her away from here since she won't be able to do it on one leg." Ed nodded and ran into the living room working to keep out of the view of the front door. He quickly climbed the stairs and dodged into Winry's room. He dumped the somehow still slumbering blond onto the bed haphazardly before sprinting out of the room and closing the door behind him.

He took the stairs two at a time and heard rather angry sounding voices coming from the kitchen. He slowly moved towards the voices, taking the time to transmutate his arm into a sword. As he close in he heard the conversation between the two and sped up.

"Old bitch, tell me where she is and I won't hurt you."

"Winry is resting after you tried to kill her. She isn't up for visitors."

"I never cared about that before, so I don't care now. Do I have to go search the whole damn house? You'd hate to waste my time, wouldn't you?" Envy hissed in his regular voice and Ed flew into the kitchen, swinging with the blade. Pinako jumped back as she had been facing the doorway and seen Ed coming. She then turned and ran towards the workshop, leaving Envy glaring at Ed.

"So, little miss bravery told you?"

"No, I figured it out. She would have died before putting anyone's life at risk." Ed growled as the two circled the kitchen, facing each other in fighting stances. "I will kill you for what you've done to her."

"Ah, ah, ah. Then how will you find her parents?" Ed glared at the homunculi, hating that the demon was right. Despite that he still lashed out with his arm-turned-sword and Envy bent back to avoid the blade. "Hey!" the homunculi shouted and Ed smirked, slashing out again. Ed realized what he was doing but had no desire to put a leash on his temper when images of the homunculi in front of him torturing Winry flashed through his mind.

Envy realized Ed was not going to leave him alone just because he had important information so he transformed his arm into a longer green limb. He whipped it at Ed and howled with anger when the blonde dodged it.

**Meanwhile**

Pinako had grabbed Winry's leg from the workshop and was hurrying up the stairs when the sounds of fighting began to echo from the kitchen. She then picked up her pace and arrived at Winry's room quickly, ripping open the door and moving to Winry's side. With a murmur of apology she attached Winry's leg earning her a scream of pain and an awake blond. Winry was panting, gripping at her leg, when Pinako announced, "We need to leave."

She ushered the confused blond off her bed and onto her feet. Winry cried out in pain as soon as pressure was applied to her leg and Pinako had to shush her. "Envy is here and Edward is holding him off, but we need to get out and go towards town." Winry's eyes were still clouded with sleep, but she nodded in acknowledgement which was a good sign for Pinako who was supporting the small but still not light girl on her shoulder.

As they traveled out of the room and stumbled towards the stares, Winry was brought more towards reality when she heard the sounds of fighting. "Is that Ed and Al sparring in the kitchen?" Winry asked and Pinako shook her head at the exhausted and pained mechanic.

"We need to hurry." The stairs were extremely difficult, each one leaving the risk of slipping and falling down the whole set. They had made it down four steps when a loud explosion sound rocked the house and debris flew everywhere, a stray board hitting Pinako and pitching her down the stairs.

**BLOOPER:**

At that moment a knock came at the door and Pinako's color drained. "He's here."

"What do you mean he's here?"

"Al with the groceries."


	7. Melting World

**A/N: **Kinda short, but a lot happens. Btw, Envy is going to be, and has been, a guy in my story. Why? Because writing 'Envy' over and over again so it was he or she and the extra letter was too much effort for me. Enjoy!

Winry opened her eyes and was greeted with the sight of a gaping hole where the kitchen was supposed to be, the remains of the walls and floor burning. Scattered burning chunks of the room were spread throughout the living room, entryway, and on the stairs with some reaching as far as the open area of the top floor. She blinked, pain suddenly searing up from her leg causing her to cry out.

That was when she saw a pile of wall in the kitchen shift and from under it Envy stood, a malicious grin on his face that made Winry's eyes widen. There was a gaping hole on his right side but is quickly closed itself, disturbing her further. He moved towards her and suddenly she realized, with the burning remains of her kitchen stretching before her and an evil homunculi advancing, she was very alone in that moment. She screamed but it didn't slow the monster coming at her with a gleam in his eyes that made her shiver. She looked around, finding she was at the bottom of the stairs, Auntie lying beside her with her hair undone from its usual bun and spread out around her head.

"Ed!" Winry screamed, trying to drag herself backwards up the stairs from her worst nightmare. He closed in and there was nowhere she could go, the pale hand of the monster reaching out and grabbing her throat. Envy then lifted her off the ground, allowing her _legs _to dangle in the air, sputtering for air.

"Princess, you told about our little secret. Now, I'm going to have to kill you."

~.E~.D~.W~.A~.R~.D~.

As he exchanged blows with Envy he was struggling to see a way out of their fight to get to Winry and move her to a safer place without bringing along the homunculi. That was when he helplessly watched as from his trench coat pocket Envy whipped out dynamite that made Ed's eyes widen in realization. The idiot was going to bring the house down with Winry in it. Ed made a move for the explosives but missed and as he regained his balance Envy brought a lighter from his pocket and flicked it on.

Ed's blade stuck into Envy's stomach just as the flame reached the end of the fuse and the loud sound of an explosion filled his ears.

~.A~.L~.P~.H~.O~.N~.S~.E~.

He headed back down the path home, having hurried quite a bit to gather groceries, metal, and medicine since the stranger had left him quite upset for some reason. He was nearing the house when a large explosion rocked his destination and the kitchen blew up in a mass of fire and flying debris. He dropped the bag at that point at started sprinting, fearing for the safety of everyone inside.

When he reached the front door he pulled it open to see a disturbing sight. Held by the throat, Winry was being lifted off the ground and he caught a threat to Winry's life at the end of Envy's sentence. That was when he didn't think, just acted. He flew at Envy and swung his metal arm at the homunculi's head, knocking him sideways and sending Winry sprawling on the ground holding her throat.

He moved to her quickly, checking her over, before returning his sights to his opponent. That was when he saw a shift in the kitchen remains and heard a groan. "Brother!" he yelled since Pinako was beside Winry and no one else had been in the house. That raised Winry's awareness because she jerked her head up and spotted the shifting rubble. She began dragging herself that way but was stopped by a rising Envy.

"Hey! That hurt!" he whined as his head fixed itself, the injury from Al's attack disappearing like it had never existed. He glared at Al and turned his arm into its green form, lashing out at the younger brother. Al leaned back to avoid the attack before returning the blow with one of his own knocking Envy back. That was when, in their distraction, Winry began half crawling half dragging herself towards Ed. Pain spiked from her leg making her have to pause occasionally and clench her teeth, but she was too concerned about Ed to stop. When she finally got there she began to clear away the ruble with her hands, the dirt coating her hands as she searched for Ed.

Eventually she caught sight of his blond locks and became frantic. She hurried to reveal his face, making her fingers bleed as she dug them into the rock and wall. When his face was relieved it scared her to see blood flowing from a wound on his forehead but relieved to see that because a larger chunk was leaning against it, the piece of wall above his chest wasn't crushing him. His eyes were half open and upon seeing her he began trying to talk.

"Winry...Mustang...call Mustang..." he ordered and she nodded, knowing that it would take a while but if anyone could help it would be Mustang and his troops. She forced herself to rise to her feet, stumbling from the pain that rocketed through her leg. She groaned before deciding to leave her leg as dead weight and she began to drag herself along towards the workshop where the only phone left was. She had to move quickly past the sill battling Al and Envy, but managed to get around them and get into the workshop.

Once there she scrambled for the phone, tugging it off its cradle and dialing in the number Ed had given her in cases of emergency. It rung several times before a voice answered. "Hello?"

"I need Colonel Mustang. Tell him he needs to come to the Rockbell residence." She panted, everything becoming a cumbersome task in her exhausted state.

"I'm sorry; I can't understand what you're saying. The Colonel is out, but I can take a message for him."

_No, no, no!_ Winry's mind screamed when she heard that, dropping to the ground with her phone in hand. She looked through the open door to see Pinako sprawled at the bottom of the staircase, the kitchen burning up or what remained of it, and Al fighting a-what seemed to be-impossible to kill homunculi. She realized everything she'd work so **damn **hard to keep together, everything she'd mended with lies and fixed with words of fear, had come unraveled. Auntie was lying unmoving at the base of the stairs, Al fighting a monster, Ed buried under rock and chunks of the house, and her struggling against the pain of her recently mutilated leg.

Tears came to her eyes and she began to sob loudly, not caring about the consequences. Colonel Mustang was not coming and even if he did it would only be in time to find all their bodies-or Ed, Aunties, and her bodies with Al's armor. It only made the tears come faster like a waterfall pouring down her face and dropping off onto the floor. She knew Ed would hate to hear her say such a thing, but she just didn't care anymore.

About trying. About working. About living. Everything she'd spent the past ten years building came down in a fiery explosion of her childhood home. That was when she felt a rush of dizziness and felt something drip down onto the back of her neck. She dropped the phone, the secretary still yelling hello, and pressed the hand to the back of her neck to find something wet dripping down. She migrated her hand up south to the back of her head to find a sharp glass sharp sticking out of her skull.

She knew if she pulled it out it would only bleed more so she left it, setting her hands on her lap as she tilted her head back to look up. She stared up at the ceiling as things got darker and thought she heard yelling, but ignored it because she was just so _sleepy..._


	8. When or If?

**A/N: Enjoy!**

The platoon arrived at the Rockbell residence as fast as they could, having left as soon as the call from Risembol made by Alphonse Elric had arrived. Colonel Mustang had known the stranger meant danger and taken a team including his Luitenint Riza with him to investigate and make sure the Rockbells were alright. Upon arrival, they knew it was good they had come to check up on the family because the residence was in a state of destruction.

Out on the front lawn Envy, the well-known homunculi, was fighting Alphonse. As the platoon came nearer Riza could hear the argument going on between the two and it only worsened her nerves. "Die already so I can go kill that bitch and her boyfriend! Die!" Envy screamed while throwing attack after attack at Alphonse whose armor had several scratches and dents in it. Quickly Riza lifted her gun from its place pointed at the ground between her hands and shot two rounds at the green haired creature.

Envy screeched as the bullets smashed against his head before turning a glare on the approaching two cars filled with soldiers prepared to kill him. He then seemed to realize his odds of winning because he looked around with a desperate expression before spotting a tractor sitting on by the side of the house. He ran to the machine and jumped in the seat and revved the engine before taking off across the grass, trying to go around the soldiers towards town. Mustang was about to order the driver of his car to turn and follow the homunculi but Riza read his thoughts and stopped him.

"We need to retrieve the Rockbells and Elric brothers. Their safety comes first." Mustang looked torn momentarily before he ordered the second car of men to trail Envy while they went to search for survivors. The men obeyed and took off, turning their car in fast three hundred and sixty degree turn before pressing on the gas and chasing after Envy. When Mustang's car arrived at the residence the soldiers wasted no time in piling out and rushing towards the house, one of them staying behind to check on Al. Riza first pressed herself against the wall next to the door before taking a breath and diving inside the house with her gun raised. She scanned the living room and after finding nothing she yelled, "Clear!"

She then moved towards the kitchen and groans brought her to a pile of rubble where she spotted Edward Elric lying. He seemed trapped and she called for men to come help her. Mustang was the first to arrive and with his help they cleared away the larger chunks to find Ed lying there with several gashes and bruises adorning his body. His flesh wrist looked broken and his automail leg severely mangled. _Thank god it wasn't his flesh one_, was all Riza could think.

Two soldiers immediately lifted the elder Elric brother up and placed his arms around their shoulders before moving him towards the car waiting outside. He seemed to be drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness, but began to mumble and Riza caught, "Winry...workshop...phone..." She immediately turned her attention to the workshop door and moved quickly across the house, or what remained of it, to the workshop. She kicked open the door and glanced around.

At first it was too dark to see, but when she flicked on the overhead light things became easier to see. She looked to her right and after only seeing shelves of parts she swept her gaze left. When she was looking at the wall to her left and slightly behind her a blonde blob caught her attention. There, with the phone dangling beside her, sat Winry leaning back against the wall. There was a gash on her upper right forehead with scratches also scattered across her body. The remainder of her flesh leg, attached to the skeletons of an automail leg, was swollen and red.

Bruises also dotted her pale skin and Riza almost thought her dead for a moment had her breath not suddenly come out in a heavy rasping cough. Riza moved to the girl, holstering her gun quickly. She checked her pulse and then her breathing before lifting the girl up and putting her arm over her own shoulders. "I need help!" Riza yelled, concerned for the young mechanic's health.

Quickly Mustang, who she noticed always showed up when she called for help, appeared in the doorway. He took one look at Winry and yelled, "We need a stretcher!" Soldiers hustled into the room with a stretcher that Winry was lain out on before being carried out to the car and settled into the backseat with Ed beside her. Al was squished into the back seat holding his brother in place and Riza was suddenly glad only four of them had come in this car including herself and Mustang unlike the other car with six. One of the soldiers climbed into the driver's seat and Mustang followed into the passenger's seat. She, as well and the other soldier, got into the back seat and held Winry's stretcher in place so she wasn't jostled on the trip over the harsh terrain.

They drove in silence back to the train station where they met up with the other soldiers. They reported, "Envy hit come civilians and we were forced to stop to aid them to safety." Mustang simply nodded and barked out orders, sending a soldier to retrieve bandages and washcloths from the nearest medical shop so they could treat Edward and Winry as best as they could on the way to central. He sent another to buy their train tickets because no matter who you were, you had to pay for the **damn **train.

He then had two lift Edward and another two lift Winry onto the train as he supervised with Riza by his side and the final two soldiers to return the cars since they still had another half an hour before the train left.

~.E~.D~.W~.A~.R~.D~.

The first thing he was aware of was that his body ached all over. He forced his eyes open to be greeted by the sight of a hospital room. It wasn't unusual for him to wake up in them so he stayed calm, but something felt off. He looked to his right to find the curtain that separated patient beds and was immediate confused. Al never needed a bed and he couldn't think of anyone else who would be in the hospital with him. He forced himself to sit up and swung his legs over to the edge of the bed before setting them on the ground. That was when he realized he couldn't remember _why _he was at the hospital. It made him move faster across the room to reach the curtain and when he did he ripped it back. What greeted him brought on a rush of memories that reminded him how and why he was at the hospital.

Winry, lying with an oxygen mask on her face and bandages all over her body, was in the hospital bed with her eyes closed. He fell to his knees gripping the curtain between his fingers with a loud 'thump', bringing a nurse who had been nearby running into the room. "Winry..." he breathed, studying her closely.

"Mr. Elric! You are not ready to be moving around! Mr. Elric! Get back to bed!" He couldn't budge. He could hardly keep his breathing steady. Everything had come back to him and it was just too much.

He was jerked from his thoughts when a cold hand gripped his shoulder and a voice asked, "Brother, please get back in bed." Ed could only slowly nod before getting up and shuffling back to his bed where he sat down and the nurse immediately set to work tucking him in. "Brother, Winry will be alright. She's just sleeping for now." That didn't make things better for Ed. Winry was still lying heavily injured in a hospital bed because he couldn't protect her.

The worst part of her injuries was the hand shaped bruise around her throat because that meant the bastard had laid a hand on her.

When he was tucked in and the nurse had pulled the curtain to obstruct his view of Winry, he looked at Al. "Brother, when I came home the kitchen had been blown up and Envy had Winry by the throat. I fought him off but I lost track of her after that. I'm so sorry." If Al could have, Ed knew he'd be crying.

"She's going to be fine." Ed proclaimed, staring up at the ceiling so Al wouldn't see his uncertain eyes.

The tense moment was interrupted when Colonel Mustang walked into the room with Riza by his side. "Fullmetal, it seems you failed to release some of the details of the situation to me."

Ed glared up at the dark haired man before growling, "Before the day Envy attacked I had no idea. How long have I been out?"

"Only three days. We'll need to have you questioned and to save time I'll have someone meet you here in your room." Ed was glad he hadn't been unconscious for too long and suddenly remembered something.

"The Rockbells!" he shouted just as Mustang was turning to leave.

"What about them? They were reported missing ten years ago and never found. Thought to have been victims of the serial killer Barry the Chopper." Mustang stated, acting like Ed might have _forgotten _such details.

"Envy has them. That was why Winry never told me. Can you put out a search party for them?" Ed asked, concern for what were his second parents arising.

"And where am I supposed to send the search party to look for them even if they're still alive?" Ed's shoulders dropped and his heart sank. He had no idea and he had no idea when Winry would wake up.

"We can ask Winry when she wakes up."

That was when Riza's expression scrunched up like she was in pain and walked towards Ed, seating herself in a chair beside his bed slowly. "Edward, there is a high chance Winry will never wake up. Between the continuous stress on her body, blood loss from her leg getting removed, and the injuries she received from the explosion her body shut itself down. We were able to revive her, but she's in a coma and there is no definite estimate for when or if she'll wake up."

That shocked Ed and all his breath rushed from his lungs leaving him gasping. Al was quickly by his brother's side, putting a hand on his shoulder and calling to him. Eventually Ed's breath returned and was left devastated at the idea Winry may _never _come back to him. That, as much as he hated to admit weakness, scared him so badly.

"Edward, she had several deep cuts, a wound in the back of her head, a concussion, her leg was extremely swollen and irritated, bruises throughout her body, and all her pervious injuries." Riza told him softly, her voice cracking slightly. "The doctors did everything they could but now it is up to Winry and whether she has the will to live or not."

"How is Granny?" Al asked, breaking the silence that had followed Riza's comment.

"She's awake and should be up walking around soon. Other than a concussion and some scratches and bruises, she's fine," Riza announced, sounding glad to be moving away from the sadder news. Ed cared about Pinako a great deal, but that wasn't what was on his mind. His thoughts were going thousands of miles a minute and only had one track: _Winry._


	9. Peaceful Soul

****A/N: ****Another short chapter, but my inspiration ran dry for a while. Now I know where I want to go and hopefully I'll be updating soon. This chapter is for TaIoRaFoReVeR523 because I told you I was working on it! :P Enjoy!

_Winry was in a large sterile room and straddling a chair across from the ground she was lying on was Envy, smirking at her._

_"Why, hello Winry," he greeted with a short wave and she started scrambling backwards, away from the demon. His smirk disappeared into an angry scowl and he stood up quickly, sending his chair clattering to the ground. "Look at me!" She did so, afraid of the consequences if she didn't. "I never meant to hurt you, I've always had your best interest in mind, but sometimes I need to remind you of your place. I don't like doing it, but I have to."_

_Winry glanced down at her now automail leg and was surprised to see it was back to being a mutilated limb without a port again, but she couldn't see the mutilation. Instead her leg just seemed to lighten the further from her hip it was and faded into the air. Envy, noticing her focus, smiled and snapped his fingers. Color washed over her current limb and suddenly her leg was re-generating, appearing as if it had never been gone._

_She grasped it, but it felt so cold in her grip. That confused her and she began to run her hands up and down it, severely confused. That was when the skin on it melted away and her automail leg was left causing her heart to sink. Her leg would never be back, she needed to accept that. She looked up at Envy, steeling herself to tell him off, when she caught sight of his frightening stare._

_She tried to scurry back, but rammed into a wall and suddenly a glinting watch appeared from nowhere, falling towards her._

~.E~.D~.W~.A~.R~.D~.

He had been released from the hospital the day before with a cast on his wrist, a temporary leg until he could go out and get another (but it felt wrong getting automail from anyone other than Winry), and several bandages scattered around his body. He'd fixed Al before he'd been released, nearly a week and a half after they'd arrived and Winry was still unconscious. He was honestly more scared for her than he'd ever been in his life. He'd feared for his life while fighting Barry the Chopper and other enemies, feared Al would hate him for taking away his body, but never had he feared for someone in the way he did for Winry.

He hadn't been very energetic, blaming it on the pain pills he'd been prescribed, but it more concerned the feelings of exhaustion that crept through his veins whenever Winry came to mind. Add to that the fact that Winry was on his mind all day every day and the poor blonde was falling apart. His eyes had deep bags with darkness rimming them and his skin appeared paler than usual. Even his monstrous appetite had been affected and despite Al's begging Ed refused any more than the minimally required food so he wouldn't pass out. Being unconscious when Winry woke up would kill him was how he explained it.

So as they visited the hospital again as they did every day, they first went to see Pinako. She sat in her bed; waving away a nurse who tried to tell her smoking was not alright for her. Pinako had been required to stay at the hospital for two weeks for examination since her head injury turned out to be worse than originally thought. Al walked up to the nurse, placing a hand on the flustered woman's shoulder, and told her they'd keep an eye on Pinako. With a loud sigh the nurse nodded and left them behind in the elderly woman's room.

"Ed, is it possible you've shrunk again?" When there was no loud retort or rant from the teased boy Pinako knew things were more serious than she'd predicted and decided to get down to business. "Alright you two, take a seat because this will take a while." Edward dropped into the nearest hospital chair while Alphonse instead chose to sit cross-legged on the floor. Most chairs couldn't hold his weight and as Ed watched his brother sit on the floor it only worsened the pain in his chest. How many people had he wronged?

"Now shorty, quit throwing yourself pity parties. I'll admit you and your brother's lives haven't been easy, losing a parent and being left behind by the other is no way for a child to live, but you've never let anything stop you before. When you lost your mother you, stupidly, tried to bring her back. When Al lost his body and you your limbs you began working for the military so you could try to get them back. Now, Winry is hanging on by a thread and you're sitting on your ass." Ed didn't seem moved by her words, not even the mention of his mother, so Pinako continued.

"Winry loves you and I'm only telling you this because she may never be able to tell you so." She watched his hands clench at his side and his eyes dart downwards and took it as a sign of life. "She gave up almost everything for you to blissfully unaware of Envy. A normal life, her safety, her home, her parents, but the only reason I say is almost is because she got to keep one thing. Her happiness. Even while being stalked by that monster she stayed happy because you were at least safe from Envy. You mean the world to that girl so I'd hope she was at least worth fighting to you, but obviously not."

That was when the real Ed returned, jumping to his feet and pointing an accusing finger at the injured woman. "She means fucking everything to me! You think I choose to be miserable? I can't get over the idea that she's in there _dying _because of someone who was after me, but she cared too much about me and took the beatings for me! I don't want to leave because I'm scared she'll slip through my fingers the moment I leave and I'll come back to find her remembered by a chunk of stone in the ground!"

Pinako remained calm through his rant, breaking eye contact with the boy only to close her eyes as she took a drag from her pipe. "Edward Elric, do you really think that sitting by her side weeping like a child will bring her back to us? You need to go out and finish Envy so her soul may find peace or at least try! _**That**_is the only way she'll be returning to this Earth. Do you hear me?" she snapped irritably, fed up with Ed's weak attitude and lack of fight.

The blonde stared at her for several moments, looking dazed, when suddenly he turned and bolted from the room. Al was shouting after him, "Brother!" while Pinako called, "Get her soul peace!"


End file.
